No. Cool a burn under running cool water for twenty minutes and then cover it with cling film. Butter, oil, toothpaste and ice all make it worse.
- Cool it under cool running water for twenty minutes. Not cold, not ice. Twenty minutes is the number, and it is effective for up to three hours after the burn.
- Remove jewellery and anything tight from the area before it swells.
- Cover it loosely with cling film laid over, not wrapped round, or a clean plastic bag for a hand or foot.
- Take painkillers.
- Do not burst blisters.
Get medical help for any burn that is larger than the person's hand, any burn on the face, hands, feet or genitals, any burn on a child or an older person, any chemical or electrical burn, and any burn that looks white, brown or leathery rather than red.
Butter and oil trap heat against the skin and keep the burn burning. Ice causes further tissue damage by constricting the blood supply to skin that is already injured. Running water removes heat without doing either.
This is general information, not medical advice, and it does not replace a GP, a pharmacist or NHS 111. Call 999 in an emergency. Full disclaimer.